sSitting inside his new hideout, five-year-old Maximus looks stunned as cell phone cameras shine at him. Once the owners of a pet, a white Labrador, abandoned him near Vrindavan Yojna Colony in Lucknow. But thanks to the kindness of an animal lover, he reached a shelter run by an NGO in Krishna Nagar.
Two-year-old Bruce, a brown Labrador found bred in the city woods, and three-month-old Mia, a cream-yellow Labrador, share the same fate. Their owners did not want them and Labradors – which are known to be a highly sociable and friendly breed – were abandoned. However, they instead arrived at a shelter run by the Possum Foundation.
Sitting inside a cage at Jeev Basera in Hasanganj, Lucknow, the enraged German Shepherd growls at visitors who interfere with their privacy.
The four-year-old dog is battling a worm infection in his right ear and was found a few kilometers away from Tedhi Pulia area – near Integral University in Lucknow. It was only when a Good Samaritan found him that the dog had been brought to the animal hospital and shelter eight days earlier.
“He grumbles only when someone tries to come close to him or serve him food. When we take him out for treatment, he calms down and easily takes an injection. I think he has faced some kind of torture,” said Rahul Krishna, a caretaker at the shelter.
Rakhi Kishor, founder-president of Jeev Basera, told ThePrint that she had no idea about the dog’s owners, adding that many pet owners were still friendly after a female pit bull, Brownie, attacked 82-year-old Sushila. Want to leave the breeds. Tripathi in Kaiserbagh area of Lucknow. She succumbed to injuries while raising questions about the breeds of the pet and their behaviour.
Owner part with exotic breeds
About 11 km from Jeev Basera is a Bengali tola in the Kaiserbagh area, where Brownies murdered their owner Amit Tripathi’s mother at their home on July 12. Soon after the incident, the female pit bull was handed over to the municipal corporation, which took her to a dog sterilization centre.
Fourteen days later, the brownie is undergoing 21 days of training, after which she can return permanently to her owner’s home in the Bengali Tola.
However, the extraordinary notoriety associated with the incident has left many dogs stunned, especially in Uttar Pradesh and the National Capital Region (NCR).
Pit Bulls, Rottweilers, German Shepherds and American Bullies have suddenly become a cause for concern and suspicion.
ThePrint reported an uptick in pit bull abandonment at several animal shelters, as well as calls from owners wanting to get rid of their pets.
Friendiko’s, one of the oldest animal shelters and hospitals with two shelters in Delhi and Gurugram, has found five abandoned pit bulls at its centers since the Lucknow incident.
Tandrali Kuli, Head of Adoption Program at Friendiko’s said that this incident is only adding to the growing culture of dog abandonment in NCR.
“Since the Lucknow incident, we have at least five pit bulls abandoned by their owners for various reasons. All pit bulls are pets and none of them are strays. One was found abandoned and defenseless with a muzzle on the Naraina flyover. One was found with a broken leg on a road near Bhairon Temple near Pragati Maidan. First a conscious resident picked it up from Naraina flyover. The trend has only become alarming because we are running out of space and resources to shelter so many dogs,” she said.
A video of an abandoned pit bull sitting on Nala Road in Delhi’s Taimur Nagar went viral on Monday.
“Pit bulls are generally abandoned due to behavioral issues and skin problems and even before the incident, some dogs of the breed had reached our shelter,” said Cooley.
In June, a pit bull was found with a letter tied around his neck outside the Friendship’s Delhi shelter.
“We cannot take care of its expensive treatment. Our mother is also in the hospital. Please take care of it,” the letter said.
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excuses go wild
Animal activist Kaveri Rana, who is also a member of the Wildlife and Gaushala committee of Gautam Buddh Nagar in Noida, said that she has received around 40-45 calls from NCR and western UP, wanting to release their pit bulls, Rottweilers, German Shepherds. Huh. , Labrador, Beagle, since the Lucknow incident.
A family from Aligarh wanted to release their one-and-a-half-year-old Rottweiler, whom they brought home when he was just a 40-day-old puppy, she said.
“When I asked the reason, they said that they fear for the safety of their eight-month-old daughter. There is panic among pet owners especially after the Lucknow case. I am simply advising these pet owners not to abandon their pets and try to re-home these pets,” she said.
About two weeks ago, another pit bull was found unclaimed in Sector 44, Noida.
Sanjay Mohapatra, founder of the Veterinary Dispensary House of Stray Animals in Sector 54 Noida, said that since the Lucknow attack, he has received 50 such distress calls from dog owners from different states like West Bengal, Odisha, Karnataka and even Kerala. The call came
“Earlier also, people wanted to release their Labrador, German Shepherd, Siberian Husky during Kovid, but after the Lucknow case, the number has increased. There are seven such abandoned dogs in my dispensary which include two pit bulls, one GSD, one Labrador, one Pomeranian and one Bhutia.
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Blaming advice?
Soon after the death of Sushila Tripathi, the Lucknow Municipal Corporation issued a Advisor Against raising ‘aggressive’ and ‘dangerous breeds’, which animal caretakers say is one of the main reasons behind the perception of danger associated with pit bulls and other strong breeds.
“The Municipal Corporation has issued an advisory, but do the authorities have any plans in Lucknow for the maintenance, care, treatment and shelter of pets that the owners now want to leave out of fear?” Kamna Pandey, a current member of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) and former member of the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI), asked.
But the corporation says that the advisory was not wrong.
“The advisory was written with caution against raising aggressive breeds. [However] After the incident, a perception has been created around the pit bull, because of its anatomical structure and strong jaws,” said Dr Abhinav Verma, a veterinary doctor in the municipal corporation. Told.
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hope for brownie
However, oblivious to the events around him, Brownie may soon be declared “fit” to be permanently handed over to his owner, Amit Tripathi, after 21 days of behavioral training.
Fourteen days after he was taken away by a municipal van and brought to the Humane Society International (HSI)-run dog sterilization center in Jahra, the dog was handed over to Tripathi on Thursday and is currently undergoing training by a behavior specialist. as directed by the authorities.
Speaking to ThePrint, Lucknow Municipal Commissioner Inderjit Singh said that Brownie would be fit to be handed over to its original owner after submitting an affidavit as there is no legal case or FIR registered in the matter.
“She is behaving perfectly normal, but questions remain about the possible reason for her behavior that day,” he said.
Owner Amit Tripathi told ThePrint on Sunday that he wants to keep the Brownie despite numerous calls from animal shelters and dog lovers hoping to adopt the dog—either out of concern or because of the ‘fame’ the Brownie has achieved. has done.
“I am getting many calls from animal shelters and dog lovers who want to adopt Brownies but I cannot trust such callers,” he said.
Verma told ThePrint that Brownie was completely normal during her stay and had become friends with her caretaker.
“He recognized his limits and realized that this was his new abode. On Thursday, when her owner Amit Tripathi put her in the boot of the car, she became sad. She can come back with her owner but only after training from a behavioral specialist,” he said.
When asked about her behaviour, Verma said that she was not usually aggressive and the incident has left many questions unanswered.
Experts suggest that the inability to take the dog out for a walk may result due to the Brownie’s aggressive behavior.
“The brownie seems to have missed a lot of exercise and an outdoor social life, which is extremely important for a dog’s health. If the dog is not taken for a walk, 21 days of training will be of no help ,” said Tandrali Coolie.
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Animal shelters resort to counseling
Animal shelters say they are unlikely to get any respite from the news as owners continue to abandon their pets.
Most are away pet owners who walk in with the intention of taking their pet away.
Owner Anurag Mishra said, “I have received some 10-12 calls from pet owners who want to release their Rottweilers, German Shepherds, but I am trying to give them advice and advice about giving up their pets. I’m asking them to apply dog-training techniques before thinking about it.” Said about a shelter home in Jaipal Kheda.
While most can be counseled, some are still parting ways with their pets – even after they have spent a few years with them. “We are shooing away such owners,” Mishra said.
(Edited by Zoya Bhatti)